1. Field
The present embodiments relate to collapsible devices and, more particularly, to devices having collapsible frames.
2. Brief Description of Related Developments
Conventional protective devices for protection against the elements, such as umbrellas generally have a handle and a support structure for the umbrella canopy that is located on a shaft. The support structure generally consists of many parts designed to unfold from the shaft in an outward and upward direction. The conventional canopy support structure generally includes support ribs that extend radially from a hub located on the shaft, which divide the canopy into several pie shaped sections. Along the outer rim of the canopy, each support rib terminates in a point. This point generally is not covered by anything and may cause injury to the user of the umbrella or a bystander in the vicinity of the user. The points also create a place for electrical charges to build up which may be a potential hazard during an electrical storm. Conventional umbrellas of this type are also subject to blowouts where wind gets under the umbrella and forces the umbrella canopy to turn inside out.
Umbrellas having a circumferential support around the rim of the umbrella are also known. The circumferential ring is generally flexible and may be bent or twisted for storage. However the flexible nature of the ring may cause the umbrella to spring open at an undesirable point in time. These umbrellas only collapse to a smaller ring shape by twisting. In their collapsed state these umbrellas still remain large and too bulky/awkward to easily be carried around in a purse, pocket, briefcase, or knapsack. These umbrellas may or may not have a handle attached to a ring that forms the base or outer rim of the umbrella. These “ring” umbrellas may or my not have a collapsible support structure attached to the ring for giving the canopy of the umbrella a domed shape.
Other devices made to protect a user from the elements are disassembled for storage and have to be reassembled before each use. An example of this would be a transportable beach parasol, which has a shaft that is driven into the ground. The shaft has a pivot attachment on the free end that supports the canopy. The canopy is constructed of several tubular sections that are assembled around and slid through loops in the canopy. Assembly and deployment is complicated, time consuming and has the potential to loose parts. Each tubular section has a receiving end and an insertion end so that when the sections are assembled the insertion end of a section is inserted into the receiving end of another section.
Many protective devices such as umbrellas also have a central support shaft, which obstructs usable space under the canopy. The central support shaft often protrudes above the canopy and is often made of metal making it dangerous in electrical storms.
Conventional umbrellas are also complex and require a large multitude of complex parts. This adds to the cost and complexity of manufacture and creates many weak points that can fail and cause the umbrella to break or malfunction. The multiple linkages and sliding parts of a conventional umbrella are also exposed causing a multiple of “pinch points” which can cause injury to the user when opening or closing.
On a larger scale building structures, such as tents and shelters generally have many parts that need to be assembled before each use. For example, the parts used to construct a tent may include support shafts for the walls and roof. The assembly of the tent is generally time consuming and loose parts may be lost. Because of the complexity of conventional tents and shelters people may not be able to set them up or they may be set up incorrectly causing a dangerous situation resulting in collapse and injury. Shelters may also have many components including various types of roofing components. These roofing components may include trusses or yurts, which in and of themselves include many sub-components requiring time to construct.
It would be advantageous to have a utility device whose concept can be applied to overcome the above deficiencies as well as applied to other protective and utility applications.